Custom Shirt Turnaround Times: What Changes Your Delivery Date

Figuring out when your shirts will actually arrive

If you have an event on the calendar, the question is never really "how much." It is "will this be ready in time." That is the right question, and it has a straightforward answer once you understand how the schedule works.

Turnaround at KSTMYZE is 7-10 business days. That clock starts from art approval and receipt of deposit or garments, not from the day you first reach out. We will walk through what that means below, because it is the part most people get surprised by.

What "from art approval" really means

Quoting, sampling, and sketching out a design can take as long as it takes. None of that counts against your production window. The clock starts once you look at the final artwork and say yes, and once your deposit or your garments are in our hands, whichever applies to your order.

That is good news if you are still deciding on colors or wording. It also means the fastest way to protect your event date is to get art approved early, even if the event itself is weeks away. A design sitting in review for two weeks does not speed anything up. A design approved today starts the 7-10 business day window today.

We send a free mockup before you commit to anything, so you are approving something you have actually seen, not a verbal description.

Blank availability and why we do not promise a brand

We describe our blanks by weight rather than brand name. Tees run 100% cotton in the 5-5.4 oz range, and hoodies run 7.8-8.5 oz fleece. We buy whichever is currently in stock that meets that spec.

This matters for timing because it means we are not locked into one supplier who might be backordered on the exact label you had in mind. If one mill is out, we source from another that fits the same weight and feel. Your production schedule is not held hostage by a single brand's inventory.

Rush pricing applies to decoration, not to the blank

If your event moved up and you need things faster than the standard window, rush charges can apply. It is worth knowing exactly what gets marked up and what does not.

Rush charges apply to decoration and setup only. They never apply to the blank garment itself. You are paying for faster printing or embroidery time, not a faster t-shirt. The shirt costs what the shirt costs regardless of your deadline.

Setup is its own line item worth understanding too. Screen printing carries a setup fee of $25 per color per print location, waived once you order 100 pieces or more. If you are reordering a design we already printed for you with no changes, that becomes a $10 per screen reset instead, also waived from 100 pieces. DTF transfers carry no setup fee at all, which is part of why they work well for smaller or faster jobs.

Minimums, by method

Screen printing has a 12 piece minimum. DTF transfers have no minimum, which makes them a reasonable option for a small group or a late addition to an order. Embroidery runs on a $75 order minimum instead of a piece count. Knowing which method fits your headcount is part of getting an accurate date, since method affects both setup and lead time conversations.

Sizing adjustments, so nothing surprises you later

Larger sizes carry a modest upcharge: 2XL adds $2.50, and 3XL and up add $4.50. Youth sizes run $1.00 less than adult pricing. These are standard adjustments, not rush related, and they apply the same way whether your deadline is in three weeks or three months.

Local pickup versus shipping

Once your order is ready, you can pick it up here in Little Falls or have it shipped. Pickup removes one more variable from your timeline, since there is no carrier transit time to add on top of production. If your event is local, that is often the simplest way to guarantee the shirts are in hand before you need them. Shipping works fine too, it just means adding carrier time on top of the 7-10 business day production window.

One more thing worth knowing while you are planning a budget: there is no New Jersey sales tax on printed clothing we supply, so the number on your quote is the number you pay.

Putting your own date on the calendar

The short version: get your design approved as early as possible, know which decoration method fits your headcount and timeline, and decide early whether pickup or shipping fits your event better. Those three decisions do more to protect your date than anything else.

You can see how setup fees, minimums, and size upcharges stack up for your specific order on our price list, or just send us the details directly through the quote page and we will tell you plainly what date you are looking at.